6 month old puppy, help!

[micah_mae_]

We just got a 6 month old miniature poodle. He's really sweet and really good with our kids. But of course, he is a puppy so he has some issues.

The big thing is that he whines/barks/cries/howls all night. He can not sleep in our bed or in his crate in our room because we have both kids in our bed already. The general consensus that I'm getting is to crate train him. The first night he would. not. stop. We ended up going down to him about 4 times to see if he needed something, but all the "dog experts" I've talked to say to ignore him if he cries. It sounds like CIO to me but everyone says to keep doing it. We can't separate him from us at all without his whining and scaring the crap out of my kids.

He has only had 1 accident since we brought him home Monday afternoon, granted we take him out a lot. Is it bad if I just let him out in the backyard every once in a while? My toddler is autistic and he melts down if I take the dog out and leave him in the house. I can't take the toddler with me because he will run off and I simply can't do both.

How do we get the dog to play? All he does is go around the house sniffing and whining if I'm up and about and if I'm sitting he sits at my feet.

[Ldavis24]

I am just a little confused.

I get the sleeping issues. Oh so common, my only suggestion would be to let him sleep in the bedroom with you on the floor on his own doggy bed. Throw an old tee shirt of yours on it so it smells like you and just don't let him up on the bed. I am not a huge fan of crates although supposedly dogs think they are their "dens". I don't know how much I'll ever buy that, but being crated in an entirely separate part of the house is something I have always been against. I don't like crating dogs, although I do in fact crate my own puppy when we leave the house. She is a shelter dog and has SEVERE separation anxiety. The only way we can leave the house and not come home to it destroyed is to crate her. This is the ONLY time she is ever crated.

Have you tried letting him sleep on the floor of your bedroom? I get you don't want him in the bed but why not he floor? Try the dog bed and tee shirt thing, it really might work.

If your back yard is fenced in and you can still keep an eye on the dog from inside yes let him out to do his business when you can't go with him. Although if the yard isn't fenced in that is a bad bad idea. It literally only takes a second for a dog to run off and never been seen again.

I don't get the play thing? Your puppy literally never plays? I find that hard to believe. Do you mean he follows you around for attention? That is believable. Do you have lots of toys for this dog? Things to stimulate him mentally and physically? Is he getting walked EVERY SINGLE DAY? You can get Kong toys which you can then hide treats in or smear peanut butter in to keep him busy for a while. So what if he follows you around whining? Eventually he will find ways to occupy himself but he really needs to have toys and stuff to do it. You can't just expect a puppy to be content sitting at your feet constantly or following you because he is bored and has nothing to play with.

Is this your first dog? I ask only because the tone of your post suggests it. If that is true have you read any books prior to getting him? Can I suggest Inside of a Dog, it is not a training manual but it might give you some really basic good insights into why dogs do what they do you know?

Goodluck, I would grab some books from the library, get your puppy out and exercised A LOT and make sure he is interacting with other dogs. That is so incredibly important!

[micah_mae_]

Yeah he really doesn't play! I've gotten him a bunch of different toys, treats, those kongo things, he's just not interested. We've only had him a couple days though so maybe he'll warm up?

He gets walked a few times a day and there are other dogs on the street that he plays with and other people as well.

[Ldavis24]

Originally Posted by micah_mae_ 

Yeah he really doesn't play! I've gotten him a bunch of different toys, treats, those kongo things, he's just not interested. We've only had him a couple days though so maybe he'll warm up?

He gets walked a few times a day and there are other dogs on the street that he plays with and other people as well.

ohhh ok. So my apologies, I missed the part where you said you have literally only had the dog a couple of days. My fault.  I'm giggling right now because then every single thing you are concerned about suddenly makes so much sense.

He's not playing because he's not comfortable yet. Give that time, it will change I promise you. New house, new people, new life, it is very stressful for any animal, dogs included. As far as the sleeping thing, i still stand by the trying a dog bed in your room (with the door shut) with a blanket or tee that smells like you or your spouse. If he is generally house broken hopefully he won't have an accident although you might want to try and let him out pretty late before you go to bed for the night. 

Really don't stress about the playing right now. Just let him do his thing, if he wants to just follow you around and sit at your feet let him. He isn't comfortable with his surroundings yet. I don't know where you got him from but if he was living with his siblings still he was just taken away from everything he's ever know. If he came from a shelter then you really don't have a ton of insight into what he might have dealt with before you got him.

Congratulations on your new puppy! We have had our shelter pup (she's only 15 months) for nearly 8 months and her behavior when we first got her has changed completely. She's barely the same dog. Well she is the same but she is confident in her surroundings. When we first got this dog we had to carry her through the front door she was so afraid to walk inside (she has some past trauma issues, abuse stuff) She literally would just lay on the floor for the first week and was afraid to walk into different rooms of the house. Now this dog treats the house like her own personal jungle gym...Give your puppy plenty of time, he will come around!

Definitely pick up Inside of a Dog, it is a great read for anyone who just loves dogs!